Vault collapses in church graveyard after storm

Churchgoers arriving for a Sunday service were greeted with a collapsed vault in the graveyard.

The vault at St Mary's church in Marston Moretaine, Bedfordshire, dates to 1753.

According to former churchwarden Steve Murphy, the vault collapsed during the recent storms following the drought.

The Archdeacon of Bedford Dave Middlebrook said the priority was "to ensure the safety of visitors and to treat this historic burial place with appropriate care and respect".

"The churchwardens acted quickly to alert colleagues in the Diocese, and the area has now been made safe," he said.

"We understand that the collapse of part of this vault in St Mary's churchyard will be concerning for local people and for those with connections to the churchyard."

Current churchwarden Chris Swan, 72, said the "first half of it went down on 16 October and then on Sunday morning the rest of it caved in".

She said a neighbouring school had loaned fencing to secure the area.

"There are two or three coffins left in the bottom and there are two inscriptions on the stone slab covering it," she added.

"Whatever we do it is going to cost an absolute fortune [to repair]".

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